“Nope, I want to put my feet in both of them.”
“How about a road trip?” he says.
“In Moxie, or in your car which is still parked on Main Street.”
“Good point,” he says and stares at one of his meatballs like he has something on his mind. I want to ask, but close my mouth, hoping I didn’t embarrass him by mentioning his broken-down car.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to get Kaylee for her birthday?” I ask, changing the subject.
“No, but my buddy Jonah and his wife Quinn have a kid. I’ll give him a call. They were actually thinking about taking a drive up to visit me here.”
“That will be nice.”
He nods, like he’s not so certain it will be.
“Sounds like you have great friends.”
“I do. But like my parents, they’re on my case too. Always trying to set me up and marry me off. Christ, my buddy Kane had this whole scheme to get our other friend Rider and this girl together. I was in the middle of it and didn’t know.”
“How could you not know it?”
“No one decided to tell me they were using me as a pawn, and I ended up punching my buddy Rider.” He shakes his head and laughs. “Never mind, it’s a long story.”
“Did Rider and the girl end up together?”
“Yup. They’re talking marriage and kids down the road. I hope they have a girl.”
“Really? Why?”
“Boys are a handful,” he says, like he knows a thing or two about that. I grin, thinking he and his brother must have been rowdy. “Jonah’s son, Scotty, is four and nothing can slow him down. You’ll see.”
“I’m not so sure about that. We only agreed on five days, remember?”
“I remember,” he says, and for a second I wonder if that’s disappointment I hear in his voice.
“I’m sure Captain Jack will love to have a four-year-old around,” I say. “Sounds like they both have the same amount of energy.” I finish my last meatball and glance outside. The rain is still falling. I sigh.
“Don’t like the rain?”
“I love when it rains,” I say, “But it sort of interferes with my job.”
He frowns. “Yeah, I guess it would, and six months of winter probably doesn’t help either.”
“You’re right about that. I love what I do, but unfortunately, the climate here prevents me from doing it all year round.” He goes quiet, like he’s mulling that over, and I stand to take my dishes to the sink.
I grab a plastic container and fill it with a portion of food for my grandmother. As I do that, Alek jumps up and starts the dishes.
“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him.
“Oh, is there something else you’d rather I do?”
I grin at him. “Plenty of things.” I hold the container up. “I have to get to the nursing home. Can I take a rain check?”
“Good thing it’s raining,” he says.
“If it wasn’t?”
“Wouldn’t matter, I’m still going to strip you naked tonight and have my way with you.”